OREANDA-NEWS. July 20, 2015. Bosch is expanding its involvement in the Formula Student Germany (FSG) international design competition. This year, the supplier of technology and services is sponsoring four additional student groups in Germany, each of which will compete as a race team. Altogether, Bosch is lending a hand to 39 race teams from Germany, the U.K., Austria, Switzerland, and Turkey. They will be making a pit stop with their race cars at the Bosch proving ground in Boxberg, Germany from July 17 to 18, 2015, where more than 250 participants will set about preparing approximately 25 vehicles for the final race at the Hockenheimring circuit. Some 40 Bosch technicians and engineers will advise and assist the promising young talent during the two-day workshop.

Discovering new talent and fostering the next generation
“Our many years of sponsorship are evidence of our enthusiasm for motorsport and the mobility of the future, as well as our commitment to fostering the next generation of engineers,” says Vera Winter, head of personnel marketing for Germany at Bosch. “These talented young people not only benefit from our engineers’ expertise, but also get the opportunity to get to know Bosch as an employer and establish some initial contacts.” The annual workshop in Boxberg has become a standing event in the teams’ calendars. Bosch’s support for the teams extends from giving them access to specialists to placing the company’s test track in Boxberg at their disposal.

Connected world, connected race cars
The importance of software also continues to grow with regard to race cars. “Above all, the growing connectivity of components and systems, in addition to the increasing development of new functions, means that more and more experience with software and IT is required as well,” says Simon M?rsdorf. The 24-year-old mechanical engineering student, who is writing his master’s thesis at Bosch, was a part of the action last year on the KA-RaceIng e.V. team. “It is a tremendous help to have specialists on hand to lend support by sharing their know-how with you.” The teams have the opportunity to test the race cars they developed and designed in racing conditions at the Bosch proving ground. “The cars go through all the same tests you would find at races at the Hockenheimring circuit,” M?rsdorf says. “They include acceptance testing and various acceleration and endurance trials.”

Workshops, advice, and testing
During the workshop in Boxberg, the students benefit from extensive support, including expert presentations on safety when working with high voltages or measuring technology, as well as more general presentations about vehicle-testing events. The teams are also provided with motorsport components and software. The support is rounded out by expert advice and assistance from Bosch specialists in automotive engineering and system design.

Career opportunities: Bosch on the hunt for 12,000 university graduates
After the Formula Student, talented young people can continue full speed ahead into a career, as Bosch plans to recruit some 12,000 university graduates worldwide this year. The countries where the company has the greatest need for recruiting trained graduates are India, which plans some 3,200 new hires, China, which plans 2,600 new hires, and Germany, which plans 1,200 new hires. In addition to mechanical and electrical engineers, graduates with an IT background have especially favorable prospects. As connectivity expands in every business sector – especially Mobility Solutions, with regard to emergency braking systems, for example – the importance of software is also growing.